Gísla saga Súrssonar 22

Bǫrkr conscripts Eyólfr for the hunt for Gísli. He sends a scout. Gísli’s dreams.

1. Nú er Bǫrkur spyrr þetta, þá býr hann heiman fǫr sína ok hittir Eyjólf¹ enn grá, er þá bjó í Arnarfirði í Otradal, ok beiðir, at hann leiti eptir Gísla ok drepi hann sekðinni, ok kvez mundu gefa hánum til þrjú hundruð silfrs, þess at allgott sé,² at hann leggi á alla stund³ at leita eptir hánum. Hann tekr við fénu ok heitr sinni umsýslu. 2. Sá maðr var með Eyjólfi, er Helgi hét, ok var kallaðr Njósnar-Helgi, hann var bæði frár ok skygn, ok var hánum um alla fjǫrðu kunnigt. 3. Hann er sendr í Geirþjófsfjǫrð at vita, hvárt Gísli væri þar. Hann verðr varr við manninn⁴ ok veit eigi, hvárt Gísli er, eða annarr maðr. Hann ferr heim ok segir Eyjólfi til svá búins. 4. Hann kvez víst vita, at þat mun Gísli verit hafa, ok bregðr við skjótt, ok ferr heiman við sjaunda mann í Geirþjófsfjǫrð, ok verðr ekki varr við Gísla, ok ferr við svá búit aptr heim. Gísli var vitr maðr ok draumamaðr mikill ok berdreymur.⁵ 5. Þat kømr saman⁶ með ǫllum vitrum⁷ mǫnnum, at Gísli hafi lengst allra manna í sekð gengit, annarr en Grettir Ásmundarson.⁸ 6. Frá því er sagt eitt haust, at Gísli lét illa í svefni nátt eina, þá er hann var á bœ Auðar; ok er hann vaknar spurði hón hvat hann dreymði.

7. Hann svarar: “Ek á draumkonur ij,” sagði hann, “ok er ǫnnur vel við mik en ǫnnur segir mér þat nǫkkut jafnan, er mér þykkir verr en áðr, ok spár mér illt eina. 8. En þat dreymði mik nú, at ek þóttumz ganga at húsi einu eða skála, ok inn þóttumz ek ganga í húsit, ok þar kenda ek marga inni frændr mína ok vini; þeir sátu við elda ok drukku, ok váru vij eldarnir;⁹ sumir váru mjǫk brunnir,¹⁰ en sumir sem bjartastir. 9. Þá kom inn draumkona mín en betri ok sagði, at þat merkði aldr minn, hvat ek ætta eptir ólifat; ok hón réð mér þat, meðan ek lifða, at láta leiðaz¹¹ fornan sið ok nema enga galdra né forneskju ok vera vel við (daufan) ok haltan ok (fátæka ok fáráða). Eigi var draumurinn lengri.”

Þá kvað Gísli vísur nǫkkurar:

15

Fold, komk inn þars eldar,
unnfúrs, í sal brunno,
(Eir vǫ́rum þar aura)
einn ok sex (at meine);
sák blíðliga báþar
bekksagner mér fagna;
hróþrdeiler baþ heilan
hvern mann í því ranne.¹²

16

Hygget at, kvaþ Egþa
andspille Vǫr banda,
mildr, hvé marger eldar,
malmrunnr, í sal brunnu;
svá átt, kvaþ Bil blæjo,
bjargs ólifat marga,
veig-Skjǫldunga valde,
vetr, nú’s skammt til betra.¹³

17

Gerskat næmr, kvaþ Nauma
niþleiks, ara steikar
ǫ́rr! nema allgótt heyrer,
Iþja galdrs, at skǫldum;
fátt kveþa fleyja brautar
fúrþverranda verra,
randar logs ens reynda
runnr! an illt at kunna.¹⁴

18

Vald eige þú vígi,
ves þú ótyrrenn, fyrre,
morþs viþ mœti-Njǫrðo,
(mér heiteþ því) sleitenn;
blakkskyndir, hjalp blindom,
(Baldr hygg at því, skjaldar)
illt kveþa háþ ok hǫltom
handlausom díks, grandat.¹⁵

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Notes

1: Eyjólf, see c. 15, 12. ↩

2: þess at allgott sé, i.e. pure silver (assayed silver). ↩

3: at hann–stund, “that he may be mindful of it.” –stund obj. to leggi. ↩

4: manninn, “such a man.” ↩

5: berdreymr, “who has dreams that are easy to interpret and fulfill.” see Flatezjarbók II, 100, 10: ek em manna berdreymastr ok hefir mik einkar úrýrliga til mín dreymt, en allrýrliga um þik. ↩

6: Þat kømr saman, “There is a consensus…” ↩

7: vitrum, here approximately = fróðum. ↩

8: Grettir Asmundarson, see Grettissaga (Kbh. 1863), s. 186, 25, [SAgabibl. VIII, s. XI anm.]; he was peaceful for nineteen years. S and frgmt. add here: XVIII (XVII frgmt.) vetr segja (kalla frgmt.) flestir (fróðir frgmt.) menn, at Gísli (hann frgmt.) hafi verit í sekð sinni (í sekð verit frgm.). ↩

9: sjau eldarnir, see Eyrb. c. 54, 9. ↩

10: brunnir, “burned down.” ↩

11: láta leiðaz, “to avoid,” “to reject something.” ↩

12: Str. 15. Prose word order: Unnfúrs Fold!, komk inn í sal, þars eldar sex ok einn brunno; vǫ́rum þar at meine, aura Eir!; sák báþar bekksagner fagna mér blíþliga; hróþrdeiler baþ hvern mann í því ranne heilan.

“Woman! I came to a house where seven fires burned, they worried me, woman! I saw the people on both benches greeting me kindly, and the skald (me) wished every man in that house happiness.”

• unn-fúr, “the fire of the wave,” gold; fold, “earth,” of gold, the woman.
• vǫ́rum: vǫ́ru-mR (vǫ́ru mér), “were to me;” subj. is eldar.
• aura Eir, Eir, a goddess, (the goddess of the art of healing; this name is chosen intentionally), of money, meaning gold, Auþr.
• hróþr-deiler, “the giver of the song,” a poet. ↩

13: Str. 16. Prose word order: Hygget at, mildr malmrunnr! kvaþ banda Vǫr andspille Egþa, hvé marger eldar brunno í sal; svá átt, kvaþ Bil blæjo, marga etr ólifat, nú ‘s skamt til betra valde veig-Skjǫldunga bjargs.

“Remember the generous warrior said the woman to the friends of Egder, how many fires burned in the house, so many years, said the woman, you still have to live, how there is only for the poet a short time for the good (better, i.e. otherworldly) life left.”

• malmr-unnr, see gloss in CV, málmr, a warrior.
• banda vǫr, “the goddess of the rings,” the woman.
• andspilli v. andspillir, “one who (gladly) talks, leads conversations;” Egðir, are the inhabitants of Agðir or Agðafylki in southern Norway; this is how Gísli calls himself a native Norwegian. Egða is in frgmt.
• Bil blœjo, “the Bil (god) of tapestries,” the woman.
• valde veig-Skjǫldunga bjargs = v. bj. Skj. veigar (veig conj. from Jón Þorkelsson); bjargs Skj., “the Sheildings, the princes of the rocks,” a giant; “the veig, drink of the giant,” “poesy, the poem.”
• valdr = lord; valde is dative (not nom.). ↩

14: Str. 17. Prose word order: Gerskat næmr galdrs, ara steikar ǫ́rr! kvaþ Iþja niþleiks Nauma, nema heyrer allgótt at skǫldum, kveþa fátt verra fleyja brautar fúrþverranda, runnr ens reynda randar logs! an at kunna illt.

“Do not learn spells, warriors! said Nauma of the Gold, learning only what is good of the poets, saying that there is nothing worse for a gold-baited one to understand the bad (the bad art, magic)”

• ara steik, “the adoration of the eagle,” “the fallen,” ǫ́rr, “servant, messenger;” “one who honors the care of eagles,” a warrior.
• Iþja niþr, Iþes relatives, brothers (Þjaze or Gangr); “the game of the brothers” is gold, see the myth Sn. E. I, 214, 350; the division of gold was the game of these brothers.
• Nauma, is often found in a kenning for “woman.” the reference to the wisdom of the scales is lovely.
• Fleyja(so AM) braut = the sea; “of gold þverrande, one who wastes,” a (liberal) man.
• Randar log, “the flame of the shield” = the sword; of whom runnr “tree” = warrior. ↩

15: Str. 18. Prose word order: Vald eige þú sleitenn víge; ves þú fyrre ótyrrenn viþ morþs mœte-Njǫrþo; heiteþ mér því; kíks blakkskynder! hjalp blindom, gradat handlausom ok hǫltom; kveþa háþ illt; hygg at því, skjaldar Baldr.

“Do not kill as a disturber o the peace, do not be the first to engage warriors (the men you meet can be valiant), promise me this: help the blind man, do not mock the handless and the lame, they say that mockery is bad, remember that O warrior.”

• sleitenn (v. sleita, to end an argument) “disputes;” “be not so confrontational that you, etc.” fyrre, “as the former,” prior (not prius).
• morþs mœte-Njǫrþr, “the N., who goes to the battle,” a warrior.
• mœte to mœta, “L. obeo.”
• díks (conj. for ty) blakkr (so fragment.), “the horse of the sea” = ship, of this, skynder “steersman,” a seafarer; and so how Gísli might be named.
• skjaldar Baldr, “Baldr of the shield” = warrior.

There are allusions to Hávamál in this beautiful verse; it is an expression of the kindly demeanor of Gísli and his moral outlook of life. ↩